Rice University
January 8, 2016
Website: http://www.rice.edu/
Location: Houston, Texas
Founded: 1912
Mascot: Owls
Number of Students: 6,623
Specialty: Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering
Welcome to Rice University, a medium size college located deep in the heart of Houston, Texas. 3,879 undergraduates and 2,744 graduate degree-seeking students are proud to call this great institution home. Though initially chartered in 1891 by the millionaire William Marsh Rice, classes were not officially held at the university until September 23, 1912.
Rice is composed of eight incredible schools from which their students can choose to attend: The School of Architecture, School of Humanities, The Shepherd School of Music, Weiss School of Natural Sciences, School of Social Sciences, Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, and the nationally recognized George R. Brown School of Engineering. Though a majority of the students tend to take the biomedical route of studies, many of their other programs such as business and computer science have been ranked among the top 10 in the nation!
Due to the restricted size of the student body, over 67% of the classes you attend at Rice will consist of 20 or fewer students. And, since there is no Greek life at Rice, the people in your classes will become some of the closest friends you will make during your college career. Another positive is the 6:1 student to faculty ratio. For many students at Rice, getting to really know and interact with your professors is a key difference between Rice and many big public colleges.
Another side of Rice is the James A. Baker III institute for Public Policy. Not only does this institute offer coursework for students, but it also offers vast amounts of internships and lectures to the many of the 6,000 students at the college. Many of the students end up getting job offers after graduation from the places where they interned.
Lastly, we can’t forget about the Division 1 NCAA athletics Rice has to offer. The Owls baseball program, under Coach Wayne Graham, has been C-USA champions 9 out of the past 10 years, including their victory at the College World Series in 2003. If baseball is your sport, that might just be another incentive to check out Rice!
Should You Apply?
Rice has a lot to offer: from its intense academic curriculum to its entertaining sports programs, Rice truly represents excellence at the highest. Not to mention convenient, since Houston is relatively close to Dallas. If a medium sized college, not far from home, with rigorous academics fits your bill, then Rice is definitely a school for you!
